The Wedding Kidnapping (Part 10)
The moment he hit the ground, accompanied by a crisp "crack" sound, Liu Kuan's face turned deathly pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He Ping cried out in alarm, "A-Kuan!"
The people of Conglian Village surged forward, shouting, "Young Chieftain! Young Chieftain!"
"Huai Xu!" I quickly helped her up. "Are you alright?"
“Godmother,” Huai Xu forced a smile, “I’m fine, let’s go pick her up—” Before he could finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
I said in a trembling voice, "Lin Zhong!"
Lin Zhong suddenly appeared behind me, took Huai Xu's wrist, and took turns feeling his pulse. He whispered to me, "The Qi and blood are flowing in reverse, but the meridians should be unobstructed."
At that time, He Ping was busy setting He Kuan's bones. He Kuan had a gag in his mouth and was in so much pain that he was about to faint.
Seeing the disheveled state of the father and son, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasure: "Elder Chief He, you flatter me. Since we can't enjoy the young chief's wedding feast tonight, please hand over our men!"
He Ping's face was ashen. He beckoned over a village guard and ordered him to lead the way for us.
The guards led Huai Xu and me to the back of the wedding hall, stopping at the door of a locked room. Huai Xu stammered, "This...this is it..."
Huai Xu reached out his hand: "Give me the key."
"It's...it's on the young chieftain."
"roll!"
Huai Xu kicked open the door and saw Luo Erying tied to a chair with strips of cloth around her eyes and mouth.
Huai Xu rushed forward and tore off the strip of cloth in a few quick movements. Luo Erying stared in disbelief and screamed, "Sister! Sister!" She dragged the heavy chair and bent over, crashing headfirst into Huai Xu's arms.
Huai Xu was injured, and I was worried that this bump might cause her serious injury, so I quickly held Luo Er Ying down, chair and all.
Luo Erying called out again, "Aunt Qing!"
"It's alright, it's alright." I gently patted her back and comforted her. "We'll take you away now."
Huai Xu pulled out a short dagger and cut the ropes. Luo Erying jumped up and hugged her, saying, "Sister! Quick, pinch me! Am I dreaming?"
Huai Xu pinched her cheek: "Does it hurt?"
"A little." Luo Erying lunged at me again, "Aunt Qing, pinch me too!"
I smiled and ruffled her hair: "Let's go, Aunt Qing will take you home."
"Waaah—" Luo Erying's body suddenly went limp, she buried her head in my arms and burst into tears.
"Don't delay!" Huai Xu helped Luo Erying up. "Godmother, let's go!"
Huai Xu and I worked together to carry Luo Erying out of the wedding hall, and sure enough, the situation outside changed in a short while.
He Kuan, lying on the ground, had clearly fainted. He Ping's face grew increasingly grim. The people of Conglian Village surrounded the wedding hall, shouting, "The young chieftain is injured like this, you can't leave!"
"Exactly! They've gone too far; we can't let them get away with this!"
I released Luo Erying, went straight to He Ping, pointed at him and said sternly, "You, He Ping! The rules are yours, Conglian Village's, and the path is yours. You want to go back on your word after losing? I think you don't want to save face anymore!"
He Ping said with a long face, "Your little sister is too vicious! She said she would stop when it was just a friendly spar, but she broke my son's arm and several of his ribs!"
"What?" I glanced at the father and son and said contemptuously, "You have the ability to steal a bride, but not the ability to take a beating? With the way the head of the household behaves, no wonder your Conglian Village is getting worse and worse!"
He Ping angrily said, "Qing Niangzi, don't be so arrogant! I allowed you to take the person away, but I didn't say I would send you out of the village! If you're so capable, fight your way out yourself!"
Huai Xu cursed, "You're shameless!"
Lin Zhong suddenly produced another long sword and slowly walked towards the group. The tip of the sword dragged on the ground, making a soft "squeak" sound, like a wild beast gnawing on flesh and bone, both rigid and grating.
Some of the older village guards showed expressions of fear and secretly retreated.
Lin Zhong walked forward expressionlessly. As he passed by me, I grabbed his arm and shouted at He Ping, "He Ping! You've blocked my way down the mountain tonight. Before dawn tomorrow, Conglian Village will be wiped out!"
A commotion arose in the crowd, and He Ping asked with a look of surprise and uncertainty, "Are you kidding me?"
"Whether I'm bluffing or not, you'll know once you send someone to observe from the outpost!"
Just then, another guard on duty at the suspension bridge rushed over to report: "Chief, something bad has happened! Scouts from the Changning Army have been spotted down the mountain!"
"Qing Niangzi!" He Ping stamped his foot. "Over the years, my brothers from Conglian Village and the Eight Pavilion Road have kept to themselves. Why did you collude with the government troops to put me to death!"
“You’re overthinking it,” I sneered. “I’ve never cared whether you live or die. The Changning Army came looking for us. If it weren’t for your son’s forced marriage causing this trouble, we wouldn’t have come looking for this problem.”
Is this really true?
"I am absolutely not joking."
"Alright, I'll trust you this once." He Ping summoned someone to bring over a section of bamboo. "According to the customs of our Liao people, please have Qing Niangzi swear an oath by breaking this bamboo—that you will not reveal what happened today. I will send you out of the village immediately!"
I picked up the bamboo stick from the tray and broke it in two: "The mountain god bears witness—I, Ba Ting Dao Qingcheng, will not divulge a single word about setting foot in Conglian Village today after descending the mountain. If I break this oath, I will be haunted by evil spirits and never be reincarnated!"
On the way back, Lin Zhong and Huai Xu rode one horse, while Luo Erying and I rode the other.
Before we had gone far, we ran into Zhou Hong. I took off my coat and covered Luo Erying's head with it, then jumped off my horse and went up to greet him: "General Zhou!"
"Lady Qing!" Zhou Hong dismounted, cupping his hands in delight. "We've finally found you! How is it? Is your little sister alright?"
"It's nothing. Thank you, Changning Army, thank you, General Zhou."
"Of course, of course. You're too kind, Qing Niangzi." Zhou Hong looked up, his eyes glancing behind me.
I stepped aside to block his view and said unhappily, "What are you looking at?"
Zhou Hong withdrew his gaze and lowered his voice, saying, "That girl looks familiar." As he spoke, he glanced again in the direction where Luo Erying was.
"You look familiar, why are you still staring?" I couldn't help but kick him. "How big is Junlian Town? We see each other all the time. Look carefully, or you'll have the nerve to face his parents in the future."
Zhou Hong repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness is right. I am a rough man and never thought of that."
"I wouldn't dare to reprimand General Zhou. It's not honorable for your Changning Army to have deserters. Let's just leave it at that and not make a fuss."
"Of course!" Zhou Hong patted his chest and assured her, "Qing Niangzi, you can rest assured. Before we set off, the military commander gave instructions that anyone who dared to gossip would be going to the underworld with Yan Han."
I nodded: "The military envoy has thought things through very well. It is thanks to General Zhou and the brothers of the Changning Army that we have made this trip for us."
Zhou Hong asked in a low voice, "Qing Niangzi, we've been searching all this way, but we haven't seen Yan Han. Could it be that he's already escaped?"
"He can't escape." I waved my hand and replied, "He got beaten up by Huai Xu and kicked into the river. Search along the riverbank; he can't have gone far."
Zhou Hong's expression relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "That's good, that's good. Thank you, Qing Niangzi, for saving me again."
I couldn't help but ask in surprise, "General Zhou, what makes you say that?"
Zhou Hongdao said, "After you left, Commander Ling and I rushed back to the camp and reported to the military commander. When the military commander learned what had happened, he was furious. He demanded to see Yan Han alive or dead and insisted on bringing him back to the military court for punishment, or else he would punish us both according to military law."
I chuckled and said, "General Zhou, you really do have a knack for water. Last time you were retrieving people from the Yue River, and this time you're coming to the Niu Guang River. I won't bother you any longer, Qingcheng. I'll take my leave now and treat you to drinks another day!"
"Of course, of course!" Zhou Hong smiled and took my hand. "Take care, Qing Niangzi!"
After leaving the dense forest and walking along the Eight Pavilion Road, Huai Xu insisted on taking Luo Er Ying home first. I was worried that her injuries would worsen, so I asked Lin Zhong to take her to Yanziping to find Liu Yu, while I took Luo Er Ying to Junlian by myself.
As we drew closer to the Luo residence, Luo Erying, sitting behind me, hugged me tighter and tighter, her voice trailing off in a long sob, "Aunt Qing, I'm scared—"
"Don't be afraid." I patted her hand and comforted her. "It's not your fault. You must not let yourself be ashamed."
"But Aunt Qing, my father..."
"When you see him, just cry and don't say anything. I'll talk to him."
As we approached the gate of the Luo residence, the old steward, who was guarding the gatehouse, saw us and hurriedly stepped forward to lead my horse: "Second Miss is back. Please come in, Qing Niangzi."
I jumped off my horse, then lifted Luo Erying down and led her into the mansion.
We arrived at Luo Erying's residence shortly after Luo Zhong.
"Yingzi!" Luo Zhong called out urgently.
As I instructed, Luo Erying glared at her father, burst into tears, and ran into the inner room.
"You, sigh—" Luo Chong's face showed both heartache and anger. He glanced at the doorway and said sullenly, "She still has the nerve to cry." He turned to me and took my hand, "Thank you, Madam Qing, for finding my daughter. I am deeply grateful."
I returned the greeting, saying, "Chief Luo, you flatter me."
Luo Zhong asked softly, "Qing Niangzi, where did you find her? And how is that boy from the Changning Army doing now?"
I replied, “It’s on the north bank of the Niu Guang River. Two days ago, there was a heavy rain, and the Niu Guang River was still flooded. The boy tried to cross the river but was swept away by the current. When we found Yingzi, she was squatting by the river crying, probably because she was frightened.”
Luo Zhong's expression softened slightly, and he hurriedly asked, "Who discovered it first? I really need to thank him!"
The lower reaches of the Niu Guang River are in the Luo Kingdom. I knew what he was happy about and what he was worried about, so I answered according to his wishes: "Huai Xu was the first to see her. On the way back, he covered her up completely. It was dark and the road was slippery, so no one from the Changning Army could recognize her."
"Zhou Hong said that the military commander of Changning Army has strictly ordered that anyone who dares to leak even a single word about desertion will be punished according to military law. Commander Luo need not worry."
Luo Zhong's brows relaxed completely: "I admire Qing Niangzi's thoroughness in her actions."
"Sigh." I sighed, feigning annoyance. "On the way back, I asked Yingzi. She said she was reluctant to leave you all, and thought you were pressuring her to get married, so she acted impulsively—"
"It's my fault, it's my fault!" Luo Chong said repeatedly. "We'll never mention the marriage again. If she wants to marry, she can; if she doesn't, I, her father, will take care of her. And even if I'm gone one day, she still has her brothers!"
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